June 7: World Food Safety Day

The Thrakian king Phineus had the gift of prophecy, and people came from far and wide to consult him. Before long, his popularity started to irritate the gods. What people saw as the benevolent sharing wisdom, the gods saw as demonstrations of hubris, and their revenge was swift and cruel. Not only was Phineus struck with blindness, every time he put food on the table, it was spoiled or stolen by the Harpies, evil creatures with the head of a woman and the body of a bird. Fortunately, being a seer, he knew that his imposed period of lent would come to an end with the arrival of Jason and his Argonauts, on their way to retrieve the golden fleece. The Boread twins, winged sons of the North wind, chased the harpies away, but his eyesight couldn’t be restored. Phineus stated he didn’t mind never seeing the sun again, as long as he could see the future. And again his boldness angered the gods. Sun god Helios turned him into a mole, still hiding from the light today.

Boread, Pelike, Martin von Wagner Museum Würzburg, Germany

Phineus and the Boreads, Column Crater, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France